1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to devices for tightening a rope by taking up the slack therein and, more particularly, is concerned with a cinching device for tightening a rope being restrained at opposite ends.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of different types of flexible lines, which for purposes of brevity hereafter will all be referred to as a rope, are widely used to secure an object or load. One end of the rope is attached to the object or to a canopy covering the object, while the other end is attached to the ground or another anchoring structure. To ensure that the object is adequately anchored, the slack in the rope must be eliminated by drawing the rope into a taut condition.
This is difficult to achieve while concurrently securing the respective opposite ends of the rope. One approach followed in the prior art for overcoming this difficulty is to utilize various devices designed for securing the ends of the rope to the desired locations in a manner which also permits adjustment of the tension in the rope. Representative examples of devices employing this approach are the ones disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. (2,466,083) to Crosby, Kimball (U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,075) and Beggins (U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,712). While many prior art devices employing this approach may function adequately under the range of conditions for which they were designed, none is perceived as being a satisfactory solution which fully overcomes the difficulty encountered heretofore.
Consequently, a need still exists for a rope cinching device which will overcome the difficulty associated with securing a rope and also removing slack from a rope.